Testimonials:

Brazil 2023

The Pantanal is quite an experience, the unique landscapes and types of wildlife and birds are unlike any I have seen before.  

Our photo guide Dale was everything I hoped he’d be.  His vast experience not only in the Pantanal but throughout his career was a highlight. He is very attentive to his guests and is willing and patient when you are seeking advice.  It’s so helpful to have someone make sure your settings are correct and you are in the right position to take advantage of the sightings.  During quiet times, he would find some subject to have us try out something different to expand my photographic education.  I love the bird photos we took that utilized backlighting the best.  At mealtimes, Dale’s incredible wit and vast wildlife experience kept us entertained, and are something that will stay with me long after my return home.

Brazil 2023

I have just returned from a memorable photo tour to the Pantanal under the excellent guidance of Dale Morris. The trip was very well organized. I welcomed Dale’s excellent guidance and suggestions for composition and camera settings, critiquing my images for ways to improve or just praise as “well done”!

I will keep all those suggestions/instructions at the ready each time I look through my viewfinder from now on. He made sure each guest had the opportunity to be in the “right spot” for the optimal shot whether on the ground, in a vehicle or on a boat. He kept us organized and well-informed of what to expect each day. I believe we all enjoyed hearing a few of his stories of the many amazing life experiences he’s had over a caiparinha at dinner as well as his wonderful sense of humor. It is very apparent he is in his element in nature, sharing that love and knowledge with us. He made great company as well as a teacher/guide. All in all, another great trip to add to my memorable moments! I hope to travel with Dale and Oryx Photo Tours again in the future.

Brazil 2023

The Pantanal Tour with Oryx and Dale morris was an absolutely Amazing Photography Tour as was the previous tour to Madagascar I also took with him!

Dale is an outstanding guide.  The three areas Dale excels in are 1, knowledge of wildlife, 2, knowledge of camera equipment and 3, customer service. (In no particular order)

His excellence in these areas is always on display.    Throughout the tour, he regaled us with his knowledge of wildlife, from ants to Jaguars (or leopards).  His stories were so insightful and really added a depth to the tour I don’t always find on my other trips.    Dale’s attention to all guests is truly exceptional.  Without fail he worked with everyone on the tour on all shots, ensuring everyone understood the shot, understood their camera settings and why we should be using those settings.  Dale’s knowledge of multiple camera systems and a desire to really help the guests with their equipment is far above and beyond anything I have experienced on any other photography trip.  He really cares that everyone gets the shot they want or the shot of the day and that the guests are happy.  If there were any concerns or issues with any area on the trip Dale was very fast to try to rectify the issue.

Dale’s humour is infectious which really added to our group dynamics, keeping everyone laughing and mixing with each other.

Thank you to Dale for another outstanding trip!  Looking forward to the next one.

Brazil 2023

This was my second ORYX expedition with Dale, and it more than met my expectations.  As usual, Dale was a witty and very pleasant tour leader. He worked well with Sergio, our local guide.  Between the two of them, many interesting animals were located and identified.  They provided us with interesting information about each of the species we observed. 

As the tour leader, Dale was great!  He did his best to help each photographer find windows for obtaining images of the various species of birds and mammals that were spotted.  He always put the clients first, and his own photographic needs second.  He gave us lots of great technical advice and suggestions of ways to try to get photographs that did more than document the species we observed.  Dale did sometimes take shots and show them to us to demonstrate things that we could try.  I appreciated this.   For the most part, I am pretty confident in my ability to use my photography gear.  While I did not need a huge amount of technical help, I learned a number of things from Dale on this trip that will be useful to me in the future.  A couple of the clients were having difficulty with their cameras, and Dale needed to work with them quite a bit to try to resolve their issues.  I felt that he was able to provide the assistance they needed without slighting the other photographers on the trip.  Dale constantly engaged each of us to make sure we were doing well even when working out issues with others.   I appreciate the effort he put into each and every one of us to help us return home with memorable images, and, even more importantly, a life-enriching experience in an exotic place.

Dale also encouraged us to have some fun on this trip.  Although I am a fairly quiet person, I really enjoyed the camaraderie of the majority of the group and made some new friends. 

Jaguar spotting from an open boat can get hot under the tropical sun, but both Dale and Sergio were very attentive to our needs and made sure that everyone was able to stay hydrated by providing cold drinks and snacks.  I particularly appreciated Dale putting ice in my neck scarf to help me be less uncomfortable in the heat. I did not witness such attention to detail on other boats while we were lined up at jaguar sightings.  Dale seemed to be far more attentive and interactive with his clients than was the norm.

In summary, I can say that I enjoyed this trip very much and felt that I more than got my money’s worth.  I am looking forward to being a client on another of Dale’s photo excursions in the near future.  I can say that he is one of a very select few tour leaders with whom I will travel, and I can’t wait until the next time!

Brazil 2023

What an amazing time I had in the Pantanal photographing wildlife from a 10-passenger boat – such a different perspective from a safari vehicle.  My sincere thanks to Dale Morris of Oryx Photo Safaris for your photography guidance (and teaching me how to photograph in manual) and your sense of humour is insane 🤪.  The Pantanal was more wonderful than I ever imagined.

Brazil 2022

Dale Morris was my guide on my first Brazil and ORYX Photo Tours adventure for jaguars, caiman, and lots of colorful birds of Pantanal. He’s a down-to-earth guy, which I really liked, and is also fantastic. He helped us a lot with the composition and light, and also helped us process pictures in Photoshop, and was always cheerful and professional.

Brazil 2022

In August 2022 I joined ORYX Photo Tours Brazil Pantanal Photo Tour. Our photo tour leader was Dale Morris, whom I have taken several trips with, and he always does a top-notch job.

He is constantly in the background making sure of every detail, so guests have the best time and safest trip. I enjoy his imagination. He frequently thinks of ways to take a photo, so an ordinary image becomes something really unique. This trip was great and so was the guide.

We saw and photographed many different birds, as well as Caiman, and Capybaras but our time with the Giant Otters and Jaguars was very special.

When we were on the houseboat, we spent our days in a small boat searching for Jaguars. We were rewarded with seeing 14 different Jaguars watching and photographing them in several different activities.

Caiman along the bank and with a powerful move climbed up the steep bank. Photographing the Jaguars was fantastic but getting a view into their lives was the icing on the cake.

This ORYX photo tour was more than I could have expected and has given me memories I will cherish forever.

Brazil 2022

My first trip to the Pantanal with ORYX Photo Tours and Dale Morris was terrific. Dale and the wonderful local guide Sergio Freitas (Dale’s Brazilian assistant) knew nearly everything I asked about the local wildlife, and if they didn’t, they found out. Dale and Sergio went out of their way to find reclusive and camouflaged animals, able to do so through knowing the animals’ behavior and the Pantanal itself so thoroughly. The tour was well-planned, the food was plentiful and delicious, the lodges and the boat hotel were comfortable, and the group of photographers were companionable and pleasant. I was using a new camera and shooting manually for the first time.

Every now and then, as I aimed at a potoo or a coiled anaconda, Dale would whisper, “If you use this ISO and that shutter speed, and stand exactly where I am standing now, Alison, you will get an excellent shot.” And lo! he was exactly right: I’d get a sharp photo with open eyes and no stick coming out of the animal’s head! I enjoyed the trip to the Pantanal very much and would urge anyone to travel with Dale Morris.

Antarctica 22

Hi Dale

Wow. What a lovely surprise hearing from you.

I must say, I can see why you have won so many accolades. It was a lovely letter indeed.

The smorgasbord of photos just had us smiling the whole weekend. We thoroughly enjoyed everyone’s photos.

We are still very busy sorting through our photos, and choosing and editing the ones we like for our photo journals and photobooks.

Our very favourite images are already at the printers though, and we’ll probably be putting them onto our walls this weekend. I’m looking forward to that.

Some feedback from the trip. We had so much fun, and we do appreciate you guys going the extra mile to keep us together and getting us earlier out than the other groups. I also enjoyed our seating arrangements in the dining room with all of Oryx sitting together and us getting to know one another. I loved every moment of the trip and I am really glad that we were in such capable hands as yours.

We made some good friends, that I suspect will become lifelong friends.

 We definitely would like to go with you to Madagascar in 2024. We were thinking of making an exclusive group of 6 people. Michael and I and our 2 girls, with Birger and Petra.

When is the best time to go?

We’ll send you some photos of our rooms when the prints are up.

Hope to be meeting you soon.

All our love and happy penguin memories.

 Lizanne and Michael.

2022

I’ve had the privilege of traveling with Oryx several times. The first was to the Omo Valley with Dale Morris. That trip was a leap of faith, signing up for it based on online reviews, a ‘good feeling’ – and little else.

What an amazing out-of-this-world trip it was. The arrangements were impeccable and Dale was a brilliant lead.
There’s been no looking back since then and I’ve been on magical journeys to the Masai Mara, Lake Turkana, Ranthambore/Varanasi and Peru – with Oryx. It never ceases to amaze me how perfectly organized these trips are, from the travel arrangements, accommodation, the local ground team, the emphasis on safety, and of course the photography ‘tuition’ – I keep learning new things on every single trip. All the Oryx leads are so generous with their knowledge and time and are absolute gems – a testament to Oryx’s corporate and hiring culture.
Oryx takes photography journeys to the next level. I have two more expeditions booked already.